Zappa defiles Sabbath with two-hours show

By Bob Melton

The Daily Aztec, 2 October 1970

Frank Zappa and the new Mothers of Invention will defile the Sabbath this weekend by actually appearing before the public and performing their inspired cruddy music at 8 p.m. Sunday in Peterson. The concert, with Zappa's group the only one scheduled to perform for the entire two hours, is the first in the San Diego State Cultural Arts Board's (CAB) Popular Concert Series I.

Ticket prices are $2 for San Diego State students, $3 for other college students, and $3.75 for the general public. Tickets are available only at the Aztec Center ticket office until 12 noon Sunday, when the tickets that are left will go on sale at the Peterson Gym ticket office. There will be no light show at the concert, by Zappa 's own request, according to Gary Solbue, activities advisor to CAB. Only stationary spots will be used, which will rob the audience of the rare pleasure of hearing Zappa chewing out a strobe-light operator like Tim Cain of the Sons of Champlin did a couple of semesters back.

Zappa reformed the Mothers a while back after concentrating on serious composition. Thankfully, he has come back to playing the light-hearted slop a generation of popular music connoissuers have come to treasure.

The personnel of the new group includes Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, former dual lead singers with the late and unlamented Turtles; former John Mayall drummer Aynsley Dunbar; longtime Mother Ian Underwood on keyboards and reeds; bassist Jeff Simmons; organist George Duke; and Zappa himself on guitar and voicals.

Volman and Kaylan, by all reports, are lending a new depth to Zappa's lyrics, including such classics as "The air escaping from your mouth – The hair escaping from your nose ..."